Cracks In a Mirror
by sithmarauder
Summary: Nothing could have truly prepared him for Slytherin, but it was the house he had chosen, and it would have his loyalty – his and Scorpius' – until the end. Albus Severus Potter/Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.
1. King's Cross Station

**Title: Cracks In a Mirror  
>Author: sithmarauder<br>Pairing(s): Albus Severus Potter/Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy (friendship), eventual ASP/SHM (romantic). Various side pairings.  
>Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all affiliated characters do not (and will never) belong to me.<strong>

_A new fandom for it, it is an idea that has plagued me for a long while, to be perfectly honest – an idea that, until today, was just a bunch of scattered, half-written one-shots set in a complicated FutureFic! Universe my Fanfiction-starved mind had dreamt up whilst on vacation. Familial bonding = me thinking about nothing but which characters would make an interesting couple. As we speak I have three, almost four chapters done (which will have no set update time), and seeing as I have no idea how many chapters there could be, as I'm considering whether or not I'll skip through some years or have five or so chapters in each year before a summer chapter, followed by the subsequent year. We'll just have to see._ _Regardless, I am very happy to give you the first chapter of _Cracks In a Mirror_._

-x-

Chapter 1: King's Cross Station

Albus Severus Potter was afraid. He was standing with his father, the handle of the trolley clutched lightly in his pale hands, and honest to the high heavens he wanted to shake at that moment, shake and give voice and action to the fear that inhabited him at that moment; the fear that James had installed within him on the car ride to platform 9 and ¾. _What if I get sorted into Slytherin? _he wondered to himself, trying to control his breathing in a way that would let him think. _What if I get sorted into Slytherin and mum and dad hate me? What if Uncle Ron gets mad? What if_…

"So, Al, given your potential House any thought?" James asked slyly, and Albus found himself shouting before he could help himself.

"I _won't_! I _won't _be in Slytherin!"

"James, give it a rest," their mother said tiredly.

"I only said he _might_ be," James replied, sending another grin Albus' way. Albus tries to calm his insides again, resisting the urge to shake because _what if, what if._ "There's nothing wrong with that," James continued, "he _might_ be in Slyth –"

Albus wanted to hug his mum at that moment as James fell silent, a result of the patented Look she had sent him, but instead he turned his attention to the barrier, swallowing the lump in his throat. At first it didn't look like anything – merely a large brick wall in between platforms nine and ten – but Albus knew what it was after hearing his father's instructions not only last night and this morning but also on the eve (and subsequent dawn) of James' first day of school.

_"You have to walk straight through it as if it isn't even there," Harry Potter had instructed, fixing his youngest son with a stern gaze. "Your grandmother once said to 'do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous.'" Albus looked up at him, nodding once._

_ "I don't… you're sure it will let me through, right?" he asked hesitantly, playing lightly with the end of the new robes his parents had purchased for him. His father laughed warmly and rested a hand on his shoulder, something that made Albus want to throw himself into his arms like he used to do as a young boy._

_ "Yes, I'm sure."_

_ "But what about that time it didn't let you and Uncle Ron through?" Albus asked with a frown. His father raised an eyebrow, shaking his head once._

_ "That was… for a very different reason. Someone was trying specifically to keep us out." He wanted to ask, more than ever, why that had been, but something in his father's tone stopped him._

_ "… All right."_

James had gone through the barrier, disappearing through the brick wall with no trouble at all, leaving the rest of the Potter family to follow him. Lily, who had released her father's leg, was now holding onto their mother's skirt, and Albus realized that they were waiting for him to go. Inhaling lightly, as if this was nothing, as if he had done it before, he turned to face them, his eyes wary.

"You'll write to me, won't you?" he asked his parents, seizing the opportunity to speak to his family without his brother ruining it with a loud or otherwise teasing comment.

"Everyday if you want us to," his mother replied, her smile warm.

"Not _every _day," Albus was quick to add in, shifting his weight from one leg to another. "James says most people only get letters from home about once a month."

Ginny Potter glanced once at her husband, reaching down to take his sister's hand in her own. "We wrote to James three times a week last year," she pointed out, and Albus flushed slightly.

"And you don't want to believe everything he tells you about Hogwarts. He likes a laugh, your brother," Harry Potter told him.

Albus nodded lightly at that, turning his attention back to the brick wall and exhaling slightly. If the two older Potters noticed their son's nervousness they didn't show it, his mother tucking her hair lightly behind her ear as his father moved over to him, placing his own hands on the handle of the trolley and giving him an encouraging look. Together, the two started moving forward, ignoring the strange looks from the muggles as they did so, gathering speed until they were at a slow run, upon which they reached the wall. Instantly Albus winced, half expecting to bounce off the solid-looking bricks and tumble back onto the concrete of the station, but to his relief they emerged unharmed on to platform nine and three-quarters. Pausing, he turned to see if his mother and sister had made it, smiling upon seeing Lily and his mum emerging only seconds later.

A thick mist covered the platform, one coming directly from the Hogwarts Express, which was coloured a brilliant scarlet. Squinting his eyes, Albus tried to peer through the haze, hoping to see someone he knew out of the indefinite figures whose outlines he could vaguely catch, or perhaps he was even trying to find James, who had disappeared amongst their unknown ranks. Shivering lightly, he glanced up at his parents.

"Where are they?"

"We'll find them," came the answer as Ginny Potter moved forward, but even though they were getting closer and closer to the Hogwarts express with every step Albus still found it hard to see anyone. A few times he thought he saw a familiar face – once he thought he had even seen Oscar Stead's laughing person, but when he turned to see if it was he had instead encountered nothing but mist, the laughter lost in the murmurings of the people and the general noisiness of the platform itself.

He saw the indistinct group of four after three or so minutes of navigating the crowd (and after several close encounters with other lost first years whose parents were most likely muggles, as the wizarding families were usually used to it), but his mother was the first one to point them out, and Albus smiled as he followed her, getting closer and closer with each step. Even then, though, he didn't actually see their faces clearly until there was less than a trolley's length between them, and Albus wondered if it would be like this every year or whether this was just a fluke. The mist, anyway.

"Hi," Albus said, knowing his relief must have shown through his tone as Rose beamed at him, her friendly face a reassuring sight at this particular point. He was distinctly aware of his family chattering amongst themselves, but he was too busy looking at the train itself, the colours of which – scarlet and black – he could make out even through the haze. Rose smiled at him again.

"Excited, Al?" she asked, and Albus glanced at his cousin, who was already wearing her brand new Hogwarts robes. He thought they looked nice, and if he squinted hard enough he could even see her with a pair of large scholarly glasses, or even round ones like the pair his father wore.

"Yeah," he breathed lightly, glancing towards the train again. "It's just… it's so… different," he said at last, unable to find the proper words to express what, exactly, he meant. "I mean – "

"Well, _I _think I'll be in Gryffindor," he heard Lily say suddenly, her voice carrying loudly through the crowd. "After all, both mum _and_ dad were in Gryffindor! I'll bet you'll get into Slytherin. _Hisss!_"

"No way!" Hugo Weasley returned, his eyes widening in a way Albus would have found comical if not for the sudden lump in his throat. "I bet _you'll_ be in Slytherin! I'm a Weasley! We're _always_ in Gryffindor!"

"I'm a Weasley too! My mum's your dad's sister!"

"Yeah, but - "

Albus tore his eyes – and ears – away from the pair, coughing lightly as he noticed Rose looking at him with concern. He felt his ears heating up, glad for the misty vapour that would make it hard for her to see the red blush, and before he knew it his old doubts were crashing through his find, the former _what if what if _mantra repeating itself in his mind as his sister's discussion continued behind him, both of them unaware of the effect it was having on him.

"Al?" Rose asked, but before she could inquire further their fathers had come back, having apparently left with their luggage, overhearing the conversation as well.

"If you're not in Gryffindor, we'll disinherit you," his uncle told Hugo, "but no pressure."

Albus swallowed thickly, and not even his aunt's loud _"Ron!"_ could get him to laugh. He noticed that Rose was looking oddly solemn too, with no trace of her earlier smile noticeable on her face.

"He doesn't mean it," their aunt and mother tried to reassure them, and Albus tried to plaster a thin smile on his face that he hoped would fool them momentarily. He tore his mind once again from the ensuing conversation – his mother had assured him she'd love him no matter what last night, even though he still had his doubts – and looked around the station, his eyes widening in wonder as he realized that the mist had cleared somewhat, revealing things he could not have previously seen.

About fifty yards away was a young-looking family who were fussing over their two children – twins, Albus reckoned – and checking over their bags, as if worried they had forgotten something. One of the two, the boy, glanced over at Albus, giving him a tiny wave, which Albus returned after a few seconds of hesitation. The girl just ignored him, her chin held up high as if she could hide her nervousness behind a mask. Albus pegged this for a muggle family as well, if only from the way the parents were acting, their heads turning towards anyone who got even within three metres of them, as if the wizards and witches would all simultaneously pull out their wands and turn them into something silly like _toads_.

Smiling once more at the boy, Albus returned his eyes to his uncle and father, his brow knitting into a frown as he saw them glancing across the station. His uncle, Ron, was looking a tad bit uncomfortable while his father was staring determinedly across the station, and as Albus followed his gaze he noticed another family – one that betrayed no nervousness at the prospect of the other wizards and witches, their postures stiff and firm in a way that told Albus they were pure-blood, or at least had gone to Hogwarts themselves at some point.

The first one he really noticed was the tall woman, who was dressed smartly in a dark grey – or blue – jacket with a sparkling broach over a light grey – or was it cream? – shirt. Her hair, dark brown, was combed back and curled nicely at the end, and Albus found himself wanting to wave at her despite the severe expression on her face. She was rather pretty, Albus thought to himself, his attention drifting to the tall blonde man standing beside her – blonde, with a hairline that was beginning to recede slightly, whose dark coat was buttoned up to his throat in a way that Albus left wondering if it made him uncomfortable. As he watched he thought he saw the man nod sharply, but he couldn't figure out who he was nodding at or even _why_, and reckoned it wasn't his business anyway.

"So that's little Scorpius?" his uncle said suddenly, voice breaking through Albus' thoughts. "Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains."

It wasn't so much the comment itself that made Albus do a double-take, but rather the name, for almost instantly his eyes sought out the third member of the family – a young boy with slicked back blonde hair, though Albus noted that his seemed a little… fluffier than that of the man he resumed to be his father. He, too, was already wearing his Hogwarts robes, and as Albus processed this he watched as the young boy turned around, facing not him but rather his father. As Albus himself turned to follow the boy's gaze, he realized who this family was.

He had heard the name "Malfoy" mentioned countless times, usually by his uncle, who would go on about how "You can't trust a Malfoy!" and the like, small little mutterings and declarations that had only increased in frequency as Albus and Rose's first day approached. He realized that the older man must be Draco Malfoy, his father's childhood rival, and the boy – who must be in his first year as well – must have been his son… Scorpius?

"Ron, for heaven's sake," his aunt Hermione was saying, "don't try to turn them against each other before they've even started school!"

"You're right, sorry," came the reply, but just as Albus was about to ask something he continued. "Don't get _too_ friendly with him, though, Rosie. Granddad Weasley would never forgive you if you married a pure-blood."

Albus frowned then - weren't the Weasleys pure-blood, too? And the Potters... for the most part?

The younger Potter boy turned to Rose, who was looking a little nervous at this point, and he offered her his hand, which she took with a grateful squeeze. Albus smiled at her, but his calm was broken as James' voice broke through the fog, his brother's face appearing suddenly as he ran over to them, his body speaking of excitement.

"Teddy's back there! Just seen him! And guess what he's doing? _Snogging Victoire_!" he exclaimed, sounding slightly breathless. When no one reacted fast enough, he frowned, continuing on. "_Our_ Teddy! _Teddy Lupin! _Snogging _our_ Victoire! _Our _cousin! And I asked Teddy what he was doing – "

"You interrupted them?" their mother said with a frown. "You are _so_ like Ron – "

Albus tuned out at that point, wanting to smile. Rose glanced at him again, and she _did_ giggle, puckering up her lips in an exaggerated motion that made Albus laugh, though the rest of the family, enamoured with this sudden turn of events, missed it.

"Oh, it would be lovely if they got married! Teddy would _really_ be part of the family then!" Lily whispered suddenly, startling Albus due to their proximity.

"He already comes round for dinner about four times a week," their father noted with amusement. "Why don't we just invite him to live with us and have done with it?"

"Yeah!" James replied, his tone enthusiastic. "I don't mind sharing with Al – Teddy can have my room!"

Albus felt slightly ill at that thought. While he loved his brother dearly, even to the point of enjoying taking part in some of his jokes and pranks, the thought of spending his summers cooped up in the same room was a little more than he wanted to consider at that moment. Besides, James always had been rather loud, and, well…

It turned out he didn't have to worry, for almost instantly their father said no, citing that he would let them share a room only if he wanted the house "demolished." Suddenly, however, Harry Potter checked his watch, and Albus blanched lightly as his father pointed out the time – "It's nearly eleven!" – and before he knew it James was giving his mother a hug, the latter telling him to give his love to James, whom responded in typical James-fashion as they moved further towards the rapidly-filling compartments.

"I can't walk into Herbology giving him _love_…" James muttered near the end of the discussion, and Albus barely had time to avoid the kick directed to him by the older Potter boy, though he did glare at him for the trouble.

"See you later, Al," James said then, "watch out for the Thestrals."

Albus paled again, grabbing his brother's sleeve. "I thought they were invisible! _You said they were invisible!_"

But James merely laughed, giving their parents each a fleeting hug before vanishing into one of the compartments. Albus saw him wave once before running into the corridors, likely looking for Aaron Stone, one of his three best friends. Stilling his breathing again, Albus glanced up at his father, who gave him a quick hug.

"Thestrals are nothing to worry about. They're gentle things, there's nothing scary about them. Anyway, you won't be going up to school in the carriages, you'll be going in the boats." Albus nodded at that, recalling his father's instructions about how Hagrid would meet them outside the train and lead them up.

"_You won't get lost_," Harry had assured him, and Albus found himself smiling.

His mother kissed him goodbye, and Albus embraced her fiercely. "Bye, mum," he said quietly as she told him that she'd see him at Christmas.

"By, Al," his father said as Albus rushed forward to hug him again. "Don't forget Hagrid's invited you to tea next Friday. Don't mess with Peeves. Don't duel anyone 'til you've learned how. And don't let James wind you up."

Albus nodding, recognizing these words, but once again his doubts about his house were surfacing, and he felt as if they would suffocate him at any moment.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" he whispered, darting his eyes around as if the Ministry would come and arrest him for even considering that the son of the great Harry Potter would be placed in a House like _Slytherin._ But if he didn't voice them he knew they would have plagued him until he got to the school, worming their way into every thought and considering he may have had until then.

His father crouched down to a point where Albus' head was slightly above his, something the younger Potter boy found odd, and he found himself staring at his father's eyes – eyes that mirrored his own in their green colouring.

"Albus Severus," his father said quietly, and Albus was dimly aware that Rose was gone. "You were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"But _just_ say – " Albus tried to tell him, but was unable to continue when he father softly calmed him.

" – then Slytherin house will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al." Albus swallowed. "But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."

Albus felt his eyes go wide. "Really?"

"It did for me."

Albus felt his father squeeze his shoulder lightly, and he realized his face must have reflected his wonder at this fact. Distantly, he wondered if his father had told James or even Lily this, but before he could ponder further the whistle blew again, as if in warning, and Albus made his way over to the carriage, jumping in as his mother closed the doors behind him. As he did so, however, he noticed many of the faces on the platform turning towards his father, and it made him frown.

"Why are they all _staring_?" he demanded as Rose came up behind him, craning her neck to look at the other students clustered in the hallways and whatnot, all waving to their parents – the ones that weren't also looking at his father, anyway.

"Don't let it worry you," his uncle Ron said. "It's me. I'm extremely famous."

Albus laughed, and he noticed that Rose had too. Of course he already knew _why_, but the fact that they would stare so openly annoyed him nonetheless, though he concentrated on waving as the train began to move away, feeling his excitement mount. This time, when his breathing became quick and erratic, he knew it was from excitement and not fear, and before he knew it his parents were disappearing into the fog, their hands still raised in farewell as the people around him shouted their animated goodbyes.

Finally, when the last trace of King's Cross station disappeared behind them, Albus allowed himself to face Rose, his face ablaze with excitement of his own.

"Come on," he told her lightly. "Let's go find an empty carriage."

_End chapter._

-x-

_Reviews are wonderful (I honestly don't know as much as I should about Harry Potter and had to consult a wiki for a lot of the finer details, so if I messed up on something _please_ let me know), and I hope you enjoyed!_


	2. Scorpius Malfoy

_Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and alerts! It's always gratifying to know that people are reading and, furthermore, enjoying._

_Please don't be afraid to drop a review at the end of this chapter – I would love to know what everyone thinks of Scorpius ;)_

-x-

Chapter 2: Scorpius Malfoy

As it turned out, there weren't any empty carriages – at least not as far as he could see – and he and Rose ended up trying to find one that only held minimal people, which became hard as it seemed most of the other students were trying to do the same. As he bumped into yet another student – his third – he wondered if he they should have at least reserved a compartment prior to waving goodbye, but he realized that it couldn't be helped at this point. Besides, as luck would have it, they ended up eventually finding a vacant compartment, the occupants of which having stood up and offered it as they wandered around in a lost fashion, citing that they were planning on sitting with some other friends anyway.

Smiling, Albus thanked them politely, and five minutes later he and Rose were seated comfortably, staring at each other mutely before Rose finally broke the silence, her eyes lighting up even further, if humanly possible.

"Oh my God, Al, we're finally going to Hogwarts!" she burst out, and before Albus knew it he had collapsed over his seat, laughing harshly with her, dark hair covering his eyes as he listened to the sound of his cousin rolling off her seat and onto the floor. Outside in the hallway, a group of older students laughed at the site, but they waved when Albus blinked at them, one of them – a blonde girl with a crest he recognized as Ravenclaw on her robes – even winking lightly at him before vanishing along with her friends. Swallowing the rest of his laughter, the Potter reached up to clear his face of the view-obstructing hair before looking down at his clothes, grinning sheepishly. "I'm going to go change, Rose," he told his cousin, grabbing said attire from the small bag his dad had said to bring with him. Rose, who had climbed back onto the seat, gave him a light smile. Of course she was already wearing hers, as her mother had suggested.

"I'll guard the car," she told him, and Albus nodded gratefully before opening the door, vanishing down the corridor himself.

-x-

Fifteen minutes later Albus found himself wandering down the corridor again, tugging at the unfamiliar robes adorning his person. They felt strange to him now, even though he had tried them on countless times before, back in Diagon Alley as well as several times at home to show his family, as instructed. He didn't really know what it was, though – perhaps it was just his nerves again. It was possible, after all.

Righting himself, Albus glanced into various compartments as he passed them, seeing students laughing and joking amongst each other, their faces alight with mirth. Most of them seemed older, like they were returning to the school, but some of them he knew must be first years like himself simply from their expressions and the way they sat in their stage, their bodies craning as if they could see everything. Some of them were even glued to their windows, watching as the golden countryside flew passed them, while others chatted animatedly amongst themselves, and he knew that if he could have heard their tones would have been ones of excitement.

When he arrived at his destination Rose was waiting for him, the nervous expression leaving her eyes immediately upon his return.

"Hey, Al," she greeted lightly. "So I was just thinking about the other students here," she went on before he could respond, "and about how many first years like us were here, you know? I mean, how many are there on average, do you think? And what if I get sorted into _Hufflepuff_?"

"Rose, I don't think – "

" – and what if I'm the _only first year girl in my house_? I'll be rooming with myself for _seven years_, Al! What if? What if I _am_ the only one? Did you know that Uncle Percy and Oliver Wood were the only first year Gryffindors in their year? _It could happen_. It's happened before! I don't – "

"Rose," Albus said, placing a hand on his cousin's arm, "you be fine. You'll get sorted into Gryffindor, and… and I'll be there with you, so even if we _are_ the only ones…"

"Yeah, but you're a guy," Rose murmured, but she ceased her rambling, and Albus leaned back into his seat with a small sigh, focusing his attention on the landscape as it raced passed him, the emerald of the trees turning into more golden brown fields and then blending in seamlessly with yet _more_ trees.

He didn't know how long it had been before he heard a knock at the door of his compartment, and Rose was already up saying "Yes, _yes!"_ to the trolley lady and handing her a couple coins, returning to the compartment with two Chocolate Frogs, a couple Pumpkin Pastries, some gummy-looking worms and a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"They really do mean every flavour, Al," she said in wonder as she opened her chocolate frog, grinning as a card depicting a wizard called Paracelsus fell out, something she picked up immediately.

"He discovered Parseltongue, you know," she chattered excitedly, and Albus smiled once.

"Oi, don't let it escape!" he said, referring to the Chocolate Frog itself, which tried to make a leap for the window and escape much like his father had said his first one had done. Thankfully, their window was closed, and instead of leaping after it Rose pulled out her wand – "10 inch, flexible, cedar with a unicorn hair core!" – and aimed it carefully, whispering a spell and holding her breath as the frog fell off the window into her lap, much to her delight.

"Look, Al! I did it! I – "

"Excuse me, but would you mind if I sat here?"

The new voice startled both Albus and Rose, who broke off her triumphant exclamations to face their newcomer, her eyes widening as she saw who stood in the doorway of her compartment.

Throughout his life Albus had heard many stories pertaining to the Malfoys, especially Draco Malfoy in particular, whom his father had once said greatly prided himself on his image, which he said had "cost him a lot in the end, but I do not blame him anymore, Al, and neither should you and James – no matter what you read." He had heard from Uncle Ron how Mr. Malfoy had been a prick who lied all the time and was a general git, and he had heard many more things besides that, but this was hardly how he had expected a Malfoy to act from his uncle's stories.

For one, Scorpius Malfoy looked nervous. His eyes and head were both averted lightly, looking down at an angle, and his hands were too tense on the frame of the stage door. Up close, Albus could see that, while he looked like his father said Draco Malfoy had once looked, his chin wasn't as pointy as he had first thought.

"… Malfoy?" Albus heard Rose say tentatively, as if to confirm whom this boy was, and she was rewarded with a curt nod.

"All the other compartments were full," Malfoy said, and his tone was low. He still refused to look straight at them, and before he knew it Albus had told him yes, watching as the boy all but glided in, his poise perfect even if his eyes – a grey-silver – betrayed his tension.

For the next twenty minutes it was like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over everyone's head, rendering their clothes clammy and uncomfortable and resulting in much squirming and general discomfort. Rose and Albus ate a couple of the beans, occasionally making a face or some sort of remark on the flavour, but otherwise they said nothing, consciously aware of Malfoy – Scorpius Malfoy, whose family they had heard stories about both from family members and the Daily Prophet. Occasionally they would ask him a question to which they would receive a short, detached response, but little else. Even when Albus tried – albeit feeling nervous himself – to catch the boy's eye, Malfoy determinedly kept his eyes on the window and what lay outside, and his body remained tense, as if he was expecting someone to burst through the door and cast one of the Unforgivables on them.

Eventually it proved too much for Rose, who stood and gave them both shaky smiles before declaring she was going to try and see if she could find anyone else she knew – their cousins Molly and Lucy were supposed to be somewhere around here, this being their second year of Hogwarts – and Albus suddenly found himself alone with the other boy, and pretty soon the silence became too much to bear.

"You're Scorpius Malfoy, right?" he said carefully, watching as the other boy all but jumped, evidentially surprised at the question.

"Yes," he replied as if saying, _who else could it be_? Albus felt his face flush slightly, but he continued on, suddenly determined to get the boy to talk. "I'm Albus. Albus Potter," he said, holding out his hand, which Malfoy seemed to eye critically before slowly extending his hand, grasping Albus', their skin contrast obvious.

"I know who you are," Malfoy said then. "My dad pointed you out on the platform and I knew your names before that."

Albus swallowed lightly. "… Oh, I see."

Malfoy gave another curt nod, returning his attention to the window.

"My brother's in Gryffindor," Albus suddenly blurted, not quite sure why he wanted to continue a conversation that was obviously going nowhere. By the look of irritation Malfoy gave him, it was clear the blonde didn't know either. Still, Albus managed to catch a hint of wariness and surprise in his expression, and it prompted him to continue. "He said he knew he would be sorted into Gryffindor – that the Potters were a strictly Gryffindor family or whatever, and how the Weasleys have been in Gryffindor for generations. He said that that's how the hat works – some families are just meant to be in some houses."

"The Sorting Hat uses magic to determine which House a specific student would work well in," Malfoy said shortly. "It can also read minds, or so I heard, so be careful what you think." He gave a small smirk then, and Albus felt slightly less awkward upon seeing it.

"I know," he returned, "but don't you think it's a little odd how some families can be in one house for generations?"

Malfoy seemed to consider this for a moment. "I suppose," he said at last, "but that doesn't work. Harry Potter's - your _father's_ godfather, Sirius Black, was a pure-blood whose family had been sorted into Slytherin for years, and he got sorted into Gryffindor. Maybe some homes just raise their children to have certain embedded traits or ambitions."

Albus blinked, missing the last part of Malfoy's statement. He had heard his father speak very fondly of his godfather, and he had been told this story, and he felt his face heat up as he wondered how it could have slipped his mind. He was so focused on this that he failed to comment on the awkward way Malfoy had said his father's name, as if he wasn't sure he should be saying it at all.

"Yeah," Albus said at last, and was treated to a raised eyebrow from the other boy, and for a moment he wondered how someone so young could even do that properly, or even have found reason to.

"Sorry," Malfoy muttered then, before wincing once. When Albus tried to ask after him he was met with a stony silence.

"Do you think you'll be in Slytherin, then?" Albus asked tentatively, gauging the other boy's reaction to the question.

"Yes," Malfoy said flatly, glancing at him once again. "My family's always been in Slytherin. It's the only House that might not…" he broke of determinedly, setting his jaw as if it could prevent him from saying anything else.

"Might not…?" Albus said carefully, as if he were treading on very thin ice, and Malfoy's response made him wish he hadn't asked at all.

"It's nothing _you_ have to worry about," Malfoy sneered lightly. "_You're_ the son of the Boy-Who-Lived – the _Saviour_ of the Wizarding World!"

Albus recoiled at the venom in Malfoy's tone, and before he knew it his eyes were narrowing like they did when he thought James was being particularly unreasonable. "Excuse me for asking," he snapped, eyes sparking lightly, something Malfoy responded to with a set of stone-like silver eyes. "And my dad has nothing to do with this!" The two boys glared at each other for a few more seconds, Malfoy looking like a snake coiled to strike and Albus with his mouth full of malicious words he would like nothing more than to spit out at that moment.

He had never liked being reminded of his father's status, just as Harry Potter himself didn't like it. James did, he knew, thinking it was the coolest thing in the world, but Albus had always been uncomfortable with the fact that his father – his _father, _the one who used to read him bedtime stories and tuck him in at night – had been the one to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort, and he had also been uncomfortable with the amount of people that were constantly expressing their gratitude even nineteen years later. It never served to make him feel uncomfortable, but even then he could never stand anyone speaking about his father with anything but the respect Albus knew he deserved. So when Malfoy had said that, he…

"Sorry." All the anger abruptly left Albus as Malfoy sat back down, his expression sullen.

"Sorry?" Albus blinked.

"What are you, deaf?" Malfoy snapped, and Albus felt himself thinking that he liked it much better when the boy was quiet. "I said I was sorry," Malfoy continued, "and I'm not going to say it again."

Albus slumped back into his own seat, blinking in an owlish fashion. "You're… sorry," he repeated, only to be rewarded with a fierce glare from Malfoy. "… Why?"

Malfoy snorted, making Albus feel all of five, and he adjusted his robes in a needlessly dramatic fashion before releasing an annoyed sigh. "It really doesn't matter, does it? I've apologized, so let's drop it."

"It just seemed a little… unprovoked." _Uncle Ron said that Malfoy Sr. had never apologized for anything._

Malfoy glared at him again, falling silent for so long that Albus began to let his mind wander again, only to have it pulled back as Malfoy spoke again, this time in a slightly subdued tone that surprised the younger Potter boy.

"I'm not supposed to… I'm not supposed to get angry with you," the blonde said at last, tugging at the end of his robe. Almost absently Albus noticed two rings on his finger, both either silver or white-gold, one bearing an intricate design while the other bore a crest he could only assume belonged to the Malfoy family. "Even if you are being a right git." Albus jerked up at this, eyes widening incredulously.

"Excuse me? _You _were the one… sneering, Malfoy! And saying things about my dad!"

"Very articulate, Potter," Malfoy sneered again, dropping his sleeve rather abruptly. "Did you notice that all by yourself? And I only stated what he was."

"No, I – and you – " Albus began hotly, but before he could let his anger take him any further he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves – a technique he used when James was being particularly testy. "Look, I don't…. I don't want to fight with you," he said at last, through clenched teeth. "My dad doesn't want me to fight with you, either. And I don't…" he gritted his teeth, "I don't want you to call me Potter. I don't like how you say it, and that's what adults call my dad all the time. My name is Albus Severus, so call me Albus, okay Malfoy?"

Malfoy looked surprised again, his eyes narrowing shrewdly as he considered this. "… Fine then. I am Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, and you _will_ call me Scorpius, not Malfoy. And no ridiculous nicknames either." The way the boy said it, as if it was an honour to call him such, made Albus smile despite himself, something that made Malfoy – no, _Scorpius_ – stare at him for several more minutes before coughing abruptly and dropping his eyes.

"All right then, Scorpius," Albus said, trying out the rather odd name. Scorpius watched him for two seconds before nodding curtly, as if to confirm the pronunciation. "Why doesn't your dad want you to fight with me? From what Uncle Ron's told me…" he choked back the rest of his sentence, ears flaming as Scorpius' eyes narrowed, his mouth curving into a small sneer.

"Why doesn't yours?" the ornery boy shot back, looking tense again.

"Because he doesn't want me starting a blood feud; because he wants me to be better than that; because he doesn't want me to spend my whole school year fighting with someone who did nothing to me," Albus said flatly, and was rewarded with a stunned look from the other boy. "My dad says that 'the past is the past' and it's stupid to blame someone who wasn't even born then for it - someone not directly affected going after someone else who wasn't."

"… I see."

"What's your reason?"

"Much the same, I imagine," Scorpius said sullenly, and Albus knew he'd have to contend himself with that as the blonde didn't look like he wanted to say much else. "I had forgotten that you were related to the…. _Weasleys._" Albus wanted to bristle at the tone Scorpius took, but he forced himself instead to relax, letting it slide.

After fifteen minutes of silence – a silence only slightly more comfortable than the last – Scorpius broke the silence, much to Albus' astonishment.

"Why did you offer me your hand?" Scorpius asked shrewdly. Albus shrugged.

"Isn't that what people do?"

Scorpius frowned, as if thinking, but he seemed to accept that answer, withdrawing again only to ask another question several minutes later.

"What House do you think you'll get sorted into?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the window. Albus frowned, opening his chocolate frog.

"I don't know," he said, something that seemed to surprise the other boy, if the way Scorpius glanced sharply at him seemed to say.

"Why not?" Scorpius snapped, the urgency in his tone clear. "Won't you be sorted into Gryffindor like… like everyone else in your family?"

"I don't know," Albus said simply. "Maybe… I hope so. I know people there, y'know? It's familiar, and I… why am I having this conversation with you?" he suddenly asked. After all, he'd known Scorpius for barely two hours, and had only learned of his name today.

"Because I asked and you are bound by familial Gryffindor honour to be truthful and tell me," Scorpius said flatly, and before Albus knew it he was laughing, dropping his half-open chocolate frog to the floor as he reached up to cover his mouth, seeing Scorpius' shocked expression.

"… Are you finished?" Scorpius asked a few moments later, his mouth still hanging open slightly. Albus nodded, eyes still reflecting his mirth.

"I'm sorry, it's just… you're kind of funny," he offered, to which Scorpius responded with a slightly hesitant raised eyebrow of his own. He sobered up instantly when he considered the other boy's question though. It wasn't that he was used to unburdening himself on strangers, but rather he wasn't used to anyone besides his father and occasionally Rose even asking.

"It's just… I'm worried I'll get sorted into Slytherin," he said at last. "My brother – umm, James – had been teasing me about it recently, and I… it's just, what if I am? What if I'm the first Potter or Weasley in years to be sorted into _Slytherin? _What if they hate me?"

Scorpius watched him for a few seconds, and Albus couldn't be sure what his reaction was.

"… Would Slytherin really be so bad?" Scorpius asked after a moment. "I mean… my mum and dad were both from Slytherin, and they liked it, even if…" he bit his lip, "even if things got… complicated. Mum was always fond of it, though."

"But what if James teases me?" Albus asked frantically. "What if my parents were lying when they said – "

"I don't need to know what they said," Scorpius said harshly, "I can tell. And if they meant it – parents don't generally lie to their kids about that, especially when that parent is the _Chosen One_… umm, Harry Potter – then you will have nothing to worry about anyway."

"How can you be so sure you'll be sorted into Slytherin?" Albus asked after a moment, and Scorpius paled even further, if that was at all possible.

"I just will be," he said sharply. "And… I wouldn't mind if you were, too. A… familiar face."

Albus looked at him incredulously, wondering what on Earth Scorpius would say something like _that_; however, it was at that moment that Rose Weasley returned to the compartment, sporting another handful of treats, and Albus bent down to retrieve the fallen Chocolate Frog instead of responding to the blonde boy's comment, saying nothing when a card reading _Harry Potter_ fell into the open palm of his hand.

_End chapter._


End file.
